Unbroken : A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption By Laura Hillenbrand

Well-known nonfiction author Laura Hillenbrand, in her best-selling biography, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, describes the chilling reality faced by those living in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. As the title suggests, this is not the typical World War II tale of hardship that ends in liberation; rather, it follows the main character, Louis “Louie” Zamperini, through his childhood, Olympic performances, and military career leading up to his captivity, as well as his later marriage and many years of healing. Hillenbrand's purpose is to impress upon her readers the scale of this tragedy as well as remind them of the horror that so many nameless soldiers endured. She adopts an emotional yet straightforward tone in order to get readers to sympathize with the characters and truly understand what they went through. To do so, she manages to make the unique story of one man represent the thousands of others going through the same tragedy.

The American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “ Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes of bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character , and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the fearless Louis Zamperini epitomized Ford’s words when, he survived imprisonment for over 2 years only after his World War II bomber crashed into the middle of the Pacific . Thankfully Louie’s fearlessness helped him return home and share his story with the world.

During the seminar, someone asked: “Was Louie truly unbroken throughout the book?” Although this book was titled Unbroken, I believe the protagonist Louie had the spirit of being unbroken but didn’t stay unbroken throughout the book. First of all, one example of Louie having the unbroken spirit was when he was told to hold the six foot beam by the Bird. When Louie was slowly sliding into unconsciousness holding the beam, he thought: “He cannot break me” (302). Malnutrition, sickness, and other physical conditions were possessed by Louie that day, but he somehow managed to hold the beam for 37 minutes. However, Louie did not stay unbroken throughout the novel. Furthermore, the author lets us see the ‘broken Louie’ in Part V. In the beginning

After conquering horrific tragedies during World War Two, Louie Zamperini commented, “I didn’t know it then, but my persistence, perseverance, and unwillingness to accept defeat when things looked all but hopeless were part of the very character traits I would need to make it through World War II alive.” (Hillenbrand, FIGURE OUT IF AND WHERE IT IS IN THE BOOK.) In Laura Hillenbrand’s book Unbroken, he showed absolute determination to survive insurmountable obstacles. Throughout his life and everything he endured, he was determined he was going to make it through. In fact, Louie decided he would be whatever he put his mind to. If he was going to run, then by golly he was going to run, and if he wanted to make it out of a POW camp, then

First of all, the theme of survival was demonstrated throughout the book. Starting off with Zamperini surviving from the eugenics by transforming himself into an Olympian athlete in Part I, to the plane crash in Part II, next the 47 days of drifting in the Pacific Ocean in Part III, then the Japanese POW camps in Part IV, and finally overcoming his mental illness in Part V were all examples of the theme survival being demonstrated. In addition, the theme of resilience was part of the protagonist Zamperini’s personality. At the Japanese POW camp, Naoetsu, the Bird, a sadistic Japanese POW guard, tortured him and stripped away his dignity. The Bird has let Zamperini perform tasks such as holding up a six foot beam after discovering Zamperini was desperate for medical care. Being told to hold the beam or else being whacked by the guard’s gun, Zamperini held it for 37 minutes. Considering his physical condition during that time period, it was incredible how Zamperini’s mental state helped him through the difficulties of the Japanese POW camp. Lastly, Hillenbrand integrated the theme of redemption mostly in Part V. The following quote from that section explains it all. “It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over” (p.386). After the war, Zamperini had nightmares of the Bird, sank into

During the second World War, an olympic record holder, Louie Zamperini, was one of the few men that got shot down into the ocean and was stranded for 47 days on a lonely, little raft. The great American hero we all have heard of didn’t start out like you would have thought. He was a young scoundrel who was influenced by his brother to run for something better than away from is problems. After years of running and going to the German Olympics to set the best lap run in the 5,000 meters, Louie had gone into the Air Force and had gotten into trouble at a Japanese POW camp after a crash. The book Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, expresses Louie’s life exceptionally well, especially

Even when the weight of the world is coming down and doubt is setting in, there still are powers to help carry on. Louie Zamperini, a famous Olympic athlete, was dragged down to a low level when he was captured by Japanese forces and suffered under horrendous conditions in the many POW camps he stayed at. Throughout all of life’s trials, he survived, due to his strong resilience and agency. He wanted to live, and even though he may have wanted to give up, he had plenty of things to live for. In Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses both internal and external conflict to show the theme that people can stand up against enemies even when the odds seem stacked up against them.

The French emperor and arguably one of the best military tacticians Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ‘’Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.’’ In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie goes through trouble and fame as his life progresses from being a small town boy to a famous athlete and competing in the Olympics. Later, Louie joins the military when the Axis powers Germany and Japan declared war on the United States. This results in Louie’s Bomber crashing and him being both stranded in the Pacific Ocean and captured by the Japanese, where he must endure torture as a POW. Miraculously, Louie survives in these camps

In Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie Zamperini is merciful and determined. Louie is merciful by forgiving people even though they have done really bad to him or more than just him. He is determined because he was so focused, in running, that he has made it to the big leagues, the Olympics. Louie Zamperini, troublemaker, American bomber, cast away, WW2 American prisoner, and American

Everyone has gone through something that alters their outlook on life. Whether it is a major event or a small occurrence, they never are the same person they were before the incident. In "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie Zamperinie goes through unimaginable circumstances that a common person would never be able to endure. He ran in the Olympics, was enlisted in the army in WWII, was stranded in the middle of the ocean for more than forty days, and was a prisoner of war in a Japanese concentration camp. Most people would never begin to imagine staying strong under these circumstances. But Louie Zamperinie remained unbroken, and transformed as a man when he turned to God.

¨For these men, nothing was ever going to be the same¨ (Hillenbrand 251). War impacts everyone, from POWs to normal citizens. In the novel, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie Zamperini was made invisible in POW camps. He was tortured, starved, beaten, and stripped of his dignity. Opposite of Louie, Miné Okubo was an American citizen that was put in an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor because of her Japanese ancestry. Both Miné Okubo and Louie Zamperini experienced isolation and dehumanization in their situations. Even though Japanese-American internees and American POWs were tried to be made invisible in World War II, both groups resisted and made efforts to regain their dignity.

In My Escape from North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee, she survives because she never gave up to make sure her family was safe. In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis never gave up and survived through the torture and abuse from the Japanese. (T) The three traits that all of these people have are to sacrifice, persevere and be resilient. (C) To begin, it takes sacrificing to be a survivor.

As Winston Churchill once said “We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.” Through the hard times when you feel like nothing is ever going to get better the pain and suffering kills but it leads to survival and a better road ahead. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is the account of a pacific prisoner of war (POW) Louis Zamperini as told through and researched by Laura Hillenbrand. The book follows Louie’s life from his birth and troubled upbringing to his glorious carrier as an olympic track athlete to the time he spent as a bombardier in WWII and almost dying as a castaway at sea leading to his long journey as a POW. By explaining how Louis Zamperini suffered as a young kid, a castaway at sea and being tortured as a POW, Hillenbrand brought to light how he survived the hardship and survived all the hills he had to overcome.

A significant passage, from chapter five, “Into War,” in the novel, Unbroken, by Author Laura Hillenbrand, suggests that Louie’s friend, Jimmie Sasaki, is a Japanese spy. These revealing tidbits, implicating espionage, are the tip of the iceberg, which advance the narrative’s entrance into World War II. Consequently, Mr. Sasaki unsuspectingly negotiates himself in situations that yield strategic positioning. More specifically, Jimmie’s mission appears to entail gathering key information for a calculated release to leading Japanese authorities. These activities are, in addition to, a Torrance Police Captain’s prior account noted in the records, alleging Jimmie’s broadcasting to Japan by way of a high-powered radio transmission. At last, inasmuch

Famous American author and political activist Helen Keller once said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” In the biography Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis lives these words by showing his courage when he was stranded at sea and harshly treated in a POW camp. Along with two other men, he survived a dangerous WWII plane crash and managed to survive on a small life raft for many weeks. Throughout his ordeal, Louis managed to keep his head and stay strong.